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As a professional athlete, there’s an expectation that you’ll have to endure severe heat or cold in some scenarios when the weather permits. These tough-weather games shape some of the most memorable events to happen in sports, whether it’s 102 degrees or snowing.
In the NFL, severe weather conditions are inevitable, and players must develop a tough mindset, knowing some of their most important games could be in the freezing cold or scorching heat. We are going to check out three of the hottest NFL games ever in football history so bring your sunscreen and let’s go!
Kicking off the list sweltering football games is one of two occurring in September of the 2000 NFL season. Funny enough, it would be the Dallas Cowboys who would compete in two back-to-back games, which are considered to be the hottest in NFL history.
The second of the two happened on September 10th between the Cowboys and Cardinals and occurred at Sun Devils Stadium in Tempe Arizona during Week 2 of the NFL regular season. This game would reach a height of 100 degrees Fahrenheit, where the cold-blooded Cardinals would narrowly steal the win 32-31. The 66,000 spectators plus the players on the field could certainly attest that this game deserves its place on a list like this.
Just a week before the game at Sun Devils Stadium, the Dallas Cowboys would suffer another scalding hot football match. Taking on the Eagles at home-based Texas stadium, the Cowboys would fall extremely short in their first game of the 2000 NFL season by a massive margin, with the game ending 41-17 in favor of the Eagles.
Before the construction of the new Cowboys AT&T Stadium, retractable roofs were not an option, and the temperature of the September 3rd season debut game would reach a soaring 109 degrees Fahrenheit. Part of what contributed to the immense heat was the design of the astroturf (up until the year 2002), where heat would radiate off the turf, causing temperatures on the actual field to be higher than that in the stadium. With the temperature reaching that high, it’s definitely one of the hottest NFL games ever to happen, and once again the unfortunate Dallas Cowboys melted in the heat.
Looking at the temperature of this game makes it feel like it was completely unplayable, and it’s surprising to witness the durability of the players able to compete in environments that would send most normal people to the hospital. Back in September of 1971, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Los Angeles Rams would battle the New Orleans Saints in a pit of lava known to be the hottest NFL game ever in football history.
The Saints would go on to win 24-20 in this volcanic match, although both teams would fortunately survive the unbearable heat. If you don’t truly believe how hot this game was, know that a temperature of 130 degrees Fahrenheit is completely abnormal, and the fact that they demolished Tulane Stadium soon after (Yulman Stadium was constructed) might have something to do with its deteriorating conditions and field environment. Either way, this game goes down as the number one hottest NFL game ever to happen in football, and temperatures will likely never reach this high again without proper precautions put in place.
Liam has been a major sports fan and soccer player for over a decade, with a particular focus on major top-level soccer leagues, including the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and MLS. He has written numerous promotional articles for various top sportsbooks and continues to publish historical and factual sports articles covering the NFL, MLS, NHL, MLB, EPL and more.